KanjiPadKanji for Heaven — 天
What 天 means
天 is read ten in compounds and ama or ame in older words. It means heaven, the heavens and the sky above — a person 大 with a line drawn over the head, the space above everything.
Where 空 (sora) is the physical sky you look at, 天 is the sky as a domain: weather, fate and the divine. 天気 (tenki) is weather, 天国 (tengoku) heaven in the religious sense, 天使 (tenshi) an angel, 天才 (tensai) a genius — talent understood as something handed down.
It also names the Emperor, 天皇 (tennō), the “heavenly sovereign”, and the food: 天ぷら (tempura) is written with it purely for the sound. Be careful not to write it as 夫 (husband) — the difference is which of the two horizontal strokes is longer.
Readings
- Kun
- あまつ、あめ、あま-
- On
- テン
Stroke order
Write 天 in 4 strokes, following the tiles above in order — top to bottom, left to right.
Words with 天
- 天ぷらtempura, deep-fried fish and vegetables in a light batter
- 天皇Emperor of Japan
- 天気weather
- 天井ceiling
- 天然nature, spontaneity
- 天国paradise, heaven, Kingdom of Heaven
Keep exploring
Practice writing 天 stroke by stroke, with spaced repetition and quizzes, in the app.